Three white football players allegedly rape black teammate

Three male high school football players have been charged with the brutal sexual assault of a vulnerable male teammate. The trio of males from Dietrich, Idaho, allegedly raped a black teammate on October 23, 2015 in the boy's locker room at Dietrich High School. Police allege that one of the white football players restrained the black victim while another teammate shoved a coat hanger into the victim's rectum. Another player kicked the coat hanger repeatedly.

Eighteen-year-old John R.K. Howard and 17-year-old Tanner Ward are being charged as adults. The third football player, an unnamed 16-year-old, is facing juvenile charges in the case. Young Howard has not filed plea to the charges. There was no report of a plea on the part of Ward. The victim is unidentified.

The victim's family has filed a $10 million lawsuit, alleging that the sexual assault was part of ongoing harassment against him. Furthermore, family members allege that teammates would regularly insult him with racially charged terms and that he was called “‘Kool-Aid’ ‘chicken eater’ ‘watermelon’ and [the N-word].” The suit also alleges that Dietrich High School failed to stop the physical and emotional abuse heaped on the victim. Reportedly, the victim is vulnerable because of “mental disorders including learning disabilities.”